THIS INVENTION relates to horticulture. In particular, it is directed to a method of cultivating a plant to meet certain aesthetic and other requirements.
Gardening is a popular pastime. Many people want to create a garden that reflects their individual preferences for style of garden, selection of plant species, etc. Often, such a garden will include a plant specimen(s) as a feature of that garden. This specimen could be chosen for its height, colour or shape of its foliage, etc. Alternatively, such a specimen plant could be pruned to a particular shapexe2x80x94the well known practice of topiary.
Another style of plant pruning that is popular is where the stem of the plant is essentially bare of growth and the foliage is concentrated at the top of the plant. For extra effect, the bare stem may be decorated with coloured ribbon or the like.
At present, to achieve such a decorative plant is labour extensive as any unwanted growth on the stem has to be regularly removed manually. This is a particularly time-consuming requirement for a plant nursery where large numbers of such plants have to be propagated for sale. It is also time-consuming for the eventual purchaser of the plant who has to undertake the necessary pruning for the life of the plant if the decorative effect is to be maintained.
There is thus a need for a method of propagation which eliminates or at least ameliorates this disadvantage and provides a decorative plant more efficiently.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of propagating a plant, said method including:
if necessary, removing any unwanted growth below a desired height from the stem of said plant;
providing a first tubular sleeve having a full length longitudinal slot;
passing said stem through said slot to encapsulate said stem within said first sleeve;
providing an encapsulation means for the upper foliage of said plant, said encapsulation means being adapted to be in communication with said first sleeve;
encapsulating said upper foliage within said encapsulation means;
positioning said plant, and/or said first sleeve and said encapsulating means, so that substantially all of said stem and said foliage is encapsulated within said first sleeve;
removing said encapsulation means;
positioning a second tubular sleeve over said first sleeve; and
removing said first sleeve;
wherein said second sleeve is selected such that, upon removal of said first sleeve, said second sleeve encapsulates said stem leaving said upper foliage substantially fully exposed.
Preferably, said encapsulating means is of hollow frusto-conical configuration having a slot extending from the base to the apex thereof.
Preferably, said second sleeve is tapered at the base thereof.
Preferably, said second sleeve has an outer surface of a decorative plain or textured nature, such as a paint coating, anodised surface or similar.
All components used in the present invention can be manufactured from any suitable material, rigid or flexible. A suitable rigid material is polyvinylchloride. A suitable flexible material is polyethylene.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant wherein said plant has been propagated by a method as hereinbefore described.